Bad Fallingbostel[1] is the county town (Kreisstadt) of Soltau-Fallingbostel in the state of Lower Saxony.

Understand

Bad Fallingbostel lies within the Lüneburg Heath region, a popular holiday and excursion area for the great North German cities of Hanover, Hamburg and Bremen. It is also a recognised state-recognised spa town, hence the prefix "Bad". It has close ties to Walsrode, a few miles to the west. There is a British Army base in Bad Fallingbostel.

During World War II it was the site of two POW camps, Stalag XIB and Stalag 357.

Bad Fallingbostel Town

History

Bad Fallingbostel is an interesting town with quite a bit of history. The old church of St. Dionysis is an interesting site to see, as is the monument to Heinrich von Quintus Icilius; a 19th century politician who helped create one of the first savings banks in Hanover. The villages are over a thousand years old, although documented mentioning occured only at later times. The main town Fallingbostel celebrated its 1000th anniversary in 1993. In the year 993 Fallingbostel was mentioned in writng for the first time. Kaiser Otto III. set the border between the bishoprics Hildesheim and Minden. In this document Fallingbostel is referred to as "Vastulingeburstalle". This name means "place to live of Vastulo or of the Vastulingers". Dorfmark was first mentioned in documents which are dated to the time around 968. In one of those documents from the year 1006 these place is called "Thormarca". That name is interpreted: Thor = to the, marca = border, forest-cooperative, market-cooperative

The moorlands of the Lüneburg Heath are a beautiful place to visit. It offers some of the most beautiful places to hike, walk, or cycle around Lower Saxony, a brilliant way to see the Lüneburg Health. Bad Fallingbostel also has the old German farmhouse known as Hof der Heidmark and many of the town’s timber framed houses are still here.

A little more than half a century ago Bad Fallingbostel was the site of World War II POW camps; Stalag XIB, XID, and 357 (Stalag XIC was the Bergen Belsen camp only about a half hour away). More than 30,000 Soviet prisoners were buried here before the camp was liberated in 1945. After the war, the camp was used as an internment camp for National Socialists; it’s now all part of the Fallingbostel Military Museum. World War II history has found its way in town in another way, it’s the final resting place of Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, a high ranking general who served four years in prison for war crimes before going off to become a military advisor for the British. Interestingly enough, the 19th century writer (journalist, conservationist, historian) Hermann Löns is also buried here. He died long before the start of the 2nd World War, but his nationalistic writings caught the attention of the Nazis and Adolf Hitler ordered his body exhumed and reburied here.

Bad Fallingbostel is a small beautiful town with a lot of history. But if history is not your thing then there are plenty of sites and attractions around Fallingbostel that would be of interest.

Geography

Bad Fallingbostel lies on the Böhme river in the southern part of the Lüneburg Heath between Soltau and Walsrode in the Heidmark. In the vicinity is the large military training area of Bergen-Hohne, which is utilised by the Bundeswehr and by NATO forces, as well as Fallingbostel Station, a large barracks for the British Forces in Germany.

Get in

By car

Bad Fallingbostel lies next to the A7 motorway between Hamburg and Hanover and has its own motorway exit, and also has a train station from which you can reach Hannover and Hamburg with only one change.

Bremen Airport, near Bremen is about 82km from Fallingbostel and estimated time travel is 50 minutes (depending on traffic). From Bremen Airport, head southeast on Flughafenallee and onto Flughafendamm. Follow it left to where it becomes Cornelius-Edzard-Straße and turn right onto B6 (Neuenlander Str.). Take the A1 exit toward Osnabrück/Oldenburg and keep left until you can merge onto the A1. Take exit 53 (Bremer Kreuz) and merge onto A27 toward Hannover/Achim, then take exit 27 for B209 toward Walsrode/Rethem and stay on B209, following the signs for Bad Fallingbostel. Continue onto Düshorner Str./L163 and follow it into town.

Hanover Airport, near Hanover is only a short trip to Bad Fallingbostel. To drive from Hannover airport to Bad Fallingbostel will take you about 30 minutes (depending on traffic). If driving from there, head northeast toward and turn right onto Flughafenstraße/K324, then turn left onto Wagenzeller Str./L190. Turn left to merge onto A352, keep left, and take the exit toward A7. Take exit 47 (Bad Fallingbostel) toward Oerbke. Keep right at the fork and merge onto B209. Then turn right onto Düshorner Str./L163, and follow it into town.

Hamburg Airport, near Hamburg is another main airport not too far from Fallingbostel. To drive from Hamburg Airport to Bad Fallingbostel will take you around 1 hour 15 minutes (depending on traffic). If driving, head south and take the left exit onto Zeppelinstraße/B433, and from there, a slight right to merge onto Krohnstieg/B433. Continue to follow B433 and then take Oldesloer Str./B432 and merge onto A7 via the ramp to Hannover/Bremen/Husum/Heide. Take exit 47 and turn right onto Deiler Weg/B209 (signs for Nienburg/Walsrode/Bad Fallingbostel), continue to follow B209. Turn right onto Düshorner Str./L163 and follow it into town.

The train station in Bad Fallingbostel

Get around

By train

Bad Fallingbostel has two railway stations - Bad Fallingbostel and Dorfmark - on the Heath Railway from Hanover to Soltau, from both stations you can travel to a number of destinations, these include Soltau, Walsrode, Bremen, Hamburg and Hannover.
For great ticket offers vist www.bahn.de.
There are a number of great ticket offers available. One of these is called the Lander-Ticket. This offers unlimited travel for a whole day within a certain region. Travel can be on any day of the week within one of the German states. The ticket can be used on all local trains (Regional Express, Regional Bahn, S-Bahn) and several other transport systems. The package price starts from €29 for up to 5 people travelling together or for parents (or one parent) travelling with any number of children under the age of 15.

If your looking for savings for weekend travelling then get the Schönes Wochenende Ticket. It is one of the best ticket offers for tourists of all ages. The ticket is valid for up to 5 people travelling together and for parents travelling with their children aged 14 or younger. The ticket is only valid on either Saturdays or Sundays (one day only) between midnight and 3am the following day. Tickets are €39 euro.
(Ticket prices correct at time of entry, Oct 2011)

You can purchase tickets and see the great offers on their website: - www.bahn.de. Or alternatively you can purchase tickets at the station from the ticket machine which is located just by the platform. The machine includes all the great ticket offers and can be translated into English.

By taxi

There is a taxi rank located at the Bad Fallingbostel train station. There are a few different taxi companies in Fallingbostel and their prices do vary, but are not overally expensive. Here are some useful taxi telephone numbers & information: -

Eddy's Taxi. 0049 (0)5051 6655. They provide a 24 hour service and have transport for up to 6 passengers.

Taxi abs. 0049 (0)5051 66 66. They provide a 24 hour service. Airport transportation and have transport that seats up to 8 people.

The taxi rank in Fallingbostel outside the train station

See

Duck pond at the park in Bad Fallingbostel

Fallingbostel Military Museum, Fallingbostel , St Barbara's Barracks, [2]. The museum was the brain child of Captain Dave Curry 2Bn REME who back in March 2006, asked Kevin Greenhalgh to help put on a small display of relics from the pow camps. It soon started to fill up first the room with pow relics then the corridor.......a museum was born. You will need an ID card or passport to enter the camp. Please contact Mr. K Greenhalgh at 01734391864 for details.

Hof der Heidmark, (at the entrance to the Liethwald woods), ☎05162-3600, [3]. 1 Apr to end Oct, Thursdays from 15.30 to 18.00; otherwise phone for an appointment. This monument to a typical Lower Saxon farm stands at the edge of a large beech wood that drops steeply to the River Böhme. The "Hof der Heidmark" has a 1642 timber-framed farmhouse and old Treppenspeicher barns. It commemorates the villages that were cleared in the mid-1930s to make way for the Bergen-Hohne military training area. One of the barns houses a small cafe, the Heimatstube Rummelsburg.

Do

Historical Walks There are a number of informative walks in and around Bad Fallingbostel with a varied distances.

Lieth outdoor pool, Soltauer Straße 26, 29683 Bad Fallingbostel, ☎05162 622226. The heated "Lieth-Freibad" has a charming location in the forest near the Böhme river. The season for the "Lieth-Freibades" begins, depending on weather, in May and ends in September.Adult €3.50 Child €1.50.

Golf Club Tielingen, Tietlingen 6c - 29683 Bad Fallingbostel, ☎05162 38 89. Enjoy the spirit of the game at the Gold Club Tielingen. Play one of the most scenic and challenging golf courses in North Germany. Low cost memberships with monthy payment options.For prices please call..

Vogelpark, Walsrode, Am Vogelpark, 29664 Walsorde (Vogelpark is situated in Walsrode, The next town to Bad Fallingbostel about 10km away), ☎05161 60440. March - October 9:00 - 19:00, July to August 9:00 - 20:00. The biggest bird park in the world with over 4500 birds. Full of flowers, rare trees and shrubs, many different birds roam freely in open enclosures, walk-through aviaries and huge flight cages.Adults (18+) €16, Children (4-17) €11..

The Park, Bad Fallingbostel, In the centre of town opposite the ice cream parlour. Fallingbostel has a beautiful large park area. There is he duck pond feeding area, a great place to take the children on a summers day. Also situated next to the park is the Boot Station. They serve food & drinks, they have mini golf and boat hire. At the bottom end of the park there is an adventure playground area for children.

Reitschule for Freizeitreiter - Horse Riding, Görlitzer Strasse 17 (Take the B163 from Fallingbostel to Soltau, between the villages of Vierde and Dorfmark, near the lay-by on the right hand side is a sign ''URLAUB AUF DEM BAUERNHOF'' (Holiday on the farm) follow this sign down to the riding school), ☎05163 290 414. This riding school speak in English. They offer a mini club for children from 3 years old. They also offer riding lessions for adults - Beginners and Experienced. They also do childrens birthday parties. For more information please call them on the number stated above. Or visit their website - www.pro-freizeitreiter.de.Please call for prices..

Buy

Fallingbostel Farmers Market This takes place every Thursday morning and sells fresh fruit vegtables and flowers.

Glasspeicher Bennien, Scharnhorststraße 4a, ☎05162 7521, [5]. Mon-Fri 0930-1230/1430-1800 Sun -0930-1300. They offer hand blown glass crystal such as ,Carafés, Bowls and Glasses. They also stock the complete range of Bunzlauer Ceramic in various designs including the famous "Peacock Eye". In Addition you will also find a small selection of Antique Pine and French Polished Furniture. They can also engrave any design, eg Regimental Crests onto Carafés, Glasses.Various prices.

Waterfront Shopping Centre, Waterfront '''Bremen''', AG-Weser-Straße, 28237 Bremen (Motorway A27, Junction 17 (Dreieck Bremen-Industriehäfen) to the freeway feeder A281 (Überseestadt-bound) you will see the Waterfront Bremen on the right side after approximately 4 kilometres.), ☎0421 33 05 199, [6]. Mon-Sat 10:00-20:00. Waterfront Shopping Centre in Bremen is about an hours drive from Bad Fallingbostel but well worth it. Waterfront Bremen is a shopping and leisure centre with a unique location directly on the banks of the River Weser. As its name and location suggest, there is always a fresh wind blowing through and around the Waterfront: shopping, feasting, cinema and events assure high spirits all year round. The young centre was opened in September 2008 and offers more than 80 shops from fashion (PRIMARK, Desigual, Tommy Hilfiger, Clockhouse and many others) to shoes, jewellery, athletic apparel and equipment to leather goods and gifts—nearly everything the heart could desire. To nourish visitors, there is a gastronomic selection of more than 15 different venues in the Food Court and on the outdoor terrace, with its Weser panorama. There are events held regularly in and around the Waterfront: fashion shows, exhibitions, concerts or activities for children—something for everybody. In the Food Court there is also a 25-sqm screen where broadcasts of all Werder Bremen football matches and highlights of the German Football League can be viewed.Various prices.

Designer Outlet Wolfsburg, An Der Vorburg 1, D-3844 Wolfdburg (Get onto the A7 toward Hannover/Bremen, take exit 57-Kreuz Hannover-Ost for A2 toward Berlin/Braunschweig, take exit 58 toward A39, keep right at the fork, follow signs for Wolfsburg/Flechtorf/A39 and merge onto A39, take exit 3-Wolfsburg-West toward Wolfsburg, then following the signs for the shopping centre. If using a Sat Nav please use the address listed above. The Wolfsburg outlet centre is about 130km from Fallinbostel and will take about 1hr 15mins drive (depending on traffic)), ☎05361 893 500, [7]. Mon-Sat 10:00 - 19:00 Sun -13:00 - 18:00. Wolfsburg Outlet Shopping Centre is a place tofind designer discount brands. They have brand shops such as : - Diesel, Adidas, Fossil, Nike, Puma, Clinque, Calvin Klein and many many more.Various prices.

Bad Fallingbostel Supermarkets. Lidl, Netto, Penny Markt, Rewe, E-Centre & Aldi, They are all located in the centre of town, [8]. Mon-Sat 8:00 - 21:00 Sun - CLOSED. Bad Fallingbostel has 6 supermarkets all in the centre of town.Various prices.

Mid range

Mediteran, Kirchplatz 1, ☎05162 2305. 1130-1430 & 1800-2300. Also known as the Yugoslavian, serves Mediterranean food in a comfortable environment within the town centre.

La Trattoria, Düshorner Straße 1, ☎05162 3820, [10]. 1200-1430 & 1730 2330. Is an Italian restaurant with an indoor and outdoor seating area. This is situated in the centre of town.

Beckmann's Hof, Adolphsheider Straße 43, ☎05162 98160. A traditional German restaurant on the outskirts of Bad Fallingbostel town where you are made to feel welcome. There is also the opportunity to use the Kegelbahn, the German equivalent of skittles.

Steakhouse Mendoza, Berfi Tulan, Lange Straße 79, 29664 Walsrode (This Steakhouse is situated in the town of Walsrode. Only a 10 minute drive from Bad Fallingbostel), ☎05161 486061, [12]. Monday to Saturday 17:00 - 00:00, Sunday 11.30 - 14.30 & 17:00 - 00:00. This Steakhouse is situated in Walsrode but only a 10 minute drive from Bad Fallingbostel. They have english menu's.

Splurge

Drei Tageszeiten, Kirchplatz 6, ☎05162 902513. 1200-1430 & 1730 - 2200. Has an outside terrace area overlooking the River Böhme and park, perfect for those summer evenings. They serve international cuisine and cater for that special occasion. Also many seasonal specialities like wild mushrooms in September and pumpkins in October.Mid-price (€10-16 for a main course).

Alexis Sorbas, 4 Vogeti Str, ☎05162 7408, [13]. 1200-1430 & 1700-2330. specialises in Greek food with an outside eating area right in the centre of Bad Fallingbostel. As well as Greek food they also provide a few international alternatives

Akropolis, Am Rooksberg 1, ☎05162 1811. Is a Greek restaurant set in a cosy environment, with very helpful staff.

Utspann, Quintusstraße 13, ☎05162 2114, [14]. Mon-Sun 1200-2130. Is an original restaurant with a variety of choices for the exquisite taste. There is an opportunity for small or large groups to have horse and cart rides around the town.

Binenkorb, Düshorner Straße 54, ☎05162 2782. 1100-2300. Serves traditional German and international food always freshly prepared with the option of eating indoors or outside. It is situated on the road towards Walsrode.

Drink

Die Taverne, Vogteistraße 11, ☎05162 900256. Is a traditional German pub situated in the centre of Bad Fallingbostel.

Bootstation, Soltauer Straße 6, ☎05162 909793, [15]. Is an outside bar with live music next to the river and park

Boot Station Bad Fallingbostel

Flavourz, Dushorner Str. Is a lively bar in the centre of town, with a take away attached to the bar.

Paradise, Vogtenistraße 33, ☎0174-6227152. Paradise is a new coacktail and lounge bar situated off from the centre of town, next to City Pizza. Pop along for a fun night filled with cocktails and dancing!

Big Ben, Vogtei Strasse (By the railway tracks). A German Bar which also does food and takeaway.

La Trattoria, Dushorner Strasse. Pizza, Steak House open daily.

Flic Flac's, Vogeti Strasse (Next to the train station). Small disco/dance club .

Irish Pub, Lange Strasse 51, Walsrode, ☎05161 4874650, [16]. Mon-Sat open from 16:00. Sun open from 14:00. Serves a wide variety of beer, whiskey and ciders with the added bonus of live music. It is situated in the town centre.

Mid range

Hotel Berlin, Düshorner Straße 7, ☎05162 900060, [20]. checkin: 1300; checkout: 0700-1100. This hotel enjoys a green setting and is right between the Walsrode bird sanctuary and Heide-Park Soltau leisure park. The town centre is a 5-minute walk from the Park Hotel Berlin, it is also possible to rent a bike to explore your surroundings.There is an onsite restaurant called the Leonard restaurant and serves Mediterranean cuisine.€99.

Hotel Haus am Walde, Soltauer Str. 14/16, 29683 Bad Fallingbostel, ☎05162 97480, [21]. checkin: 1200-2130; checkout: 1000-1100. This hotel enjoys a tranquil location beside the Böhme River and the park. It offers a daily buffet breakfast and free parking.The hotel rooms at the Haus am Walde feature cabled internet access and a private bathroom. There is a spa area available at Haus am Walde which includes a sauna, solarium, jacuzzi, and aromatherapy baths. Fasting cures and Thai massages are also available.

Hotel Hof Idinger Heide, Idingen 3, ☎05162 2238, [22]. checkin: 1200-2230; checkout: 0700-1030. This time-honoured farm complex offers relaxing holidays amid extensive gardens and characteristic timber-framed buildings. This is one of Fallingbostel’s oldest properties, the hotel is a comfortable base for a wide range of sports and leisure activities in the heart of the reserve. The old barns, tractor sheds and stables join forces with the 100-year-old trees to create a soothing ambience. €50-€90.

Splurge

Hotel Haus Petersen, Schluter Berg 1, ☎05162 5966, [23]. checkin: 1500 - 2200; checkout: 0700-1100. Looking for a cozy hotel with personality and charm? The this is the place to go. They have great facilities, such as a pool & sauna, and have 15 comfortable, well kept, non smoking rooms. This hotel is situated between Hannover & Hamburg, & centrally between the main theme parks in the region, such as The Bird Park in Walsrode, Heide Park and Serengeti Park Hodenhagen.€60-€120.

Contact

Telefiji Dushorner Str, 29683 Bad Fallingbostel. Telefiji is an internet/telephone shop. They have a number of computers and telephones which the public can use. They also have printers. So if you need to print of boarding passes etc, its a great place to go.

Get out

This is a usable article. It has information for getting in as well as some complete entries for restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please plunge forward and help it grow!